Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun-antecedent agreement ensures that a pronoun matches its antecedent in number, gender, and person. This is essential for clarity and grammatical correctness.

Definition / Explanation

An antecedent is the noun or noun phrase a pronoun refers to. Pronoun-antecedent agreement means that the pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number (singular or plural), gender (male, female, or neutral), and person (first, second, or third).

Rules / Guidelines

• Singular antecedents take singular pronouns: The student forgot his book.
• Plural antecedents take plural pronouns: The students forgot their books.
• When the antecedent is indefinite, use singular pronouns: Everyone must submit his or her assignment.
• Pronouns must agree in gender: Mary loves her dog. He is playful.
• Compound antecedents joined by “and” are usually plural: John and Mary forgot their tickets.
• Compound antecedents joined by “or” or “nor” agree with the nearer antecedent: Neither the teacher nor the students forgot their homework.

Examples

Singular: The dog wagged its tail.
Plural: The dogs wagged their tails.
Indefinite Pronoun: Each of the players must bring his or her equipment.
Compound (and): Sarah and Tom brought their books.
Compound (or): Either the teacher or the students forgot their pens.

Practice Exercises

1. Choose the correct pronoun: "Each boy must bring (his/their) notebook."
2. Identify the antecedent and pronoun: "The car lost its tire."
3. Correct the pronoun: "Everyone should bring their book."
4. Choose the correct pronoun: "Neither the manager nor the employees forgot (his/their) ID."
5. Rewrite to make pronoun-antecedent agreement correct: "The student forgot their homework."

Answers / Explanation

1. his
2. Antecedent: The car / Pronoun: its
3. Everyone should bring his or her book.
4. their (agrees with nearer plural "employees")
5. The student forgot his or her homework.